This literary duo write together, side by side and always enjoy a glass of wine in the evening. (Simsion has co-founded a wine distribution business called "Pinot Now."). Simsion's wife Anne Buist (a psychiatrist) writes thrillesr and also
erotic fiction (under the name Simone Sinna - an anagram of her married name)
The couple met at a dinner party in Melbourne, at the time they were married, but not
to each other. Buist was impressed with Simsion's knowledge of wine and the ease in which he cooked a multi-course dinner. Simsion said the attraction was purely physical on his part. Both marriages ended and they began to see each other in 1988, marrying one year later.
Simsion had the idea that Buist should write a novel about a woman trying to find her biological father. After completing 140,000 words about a geneticist who falls in love with this woman -- the book stalled. Simsion then re-took the concept and ran with it. Why didn't he originally write the book from the beginning? At the time he considered his wife to be the writer in the family. (She became interested in writing at age 8 but became side tracked into a career in psychiatry; eventually returning to the writing life, becoming a published author.)
This husband and wife plan to co-author a book in the future. The plot revolves around
a man & a woman who meet for the first time on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the famous pilgrim's walk through France and Spain (the walk takes 30-35 days to complete, averaging 14-16 miles per day). Simsion & Buist did the walk together in 2011. This book will be a mature love story, between a divorced man and a widowed women; they have completed their first draft. Meanwhile, Simsion is working on a book about a love affair that is rekindled after 24 years.
Meanwhile, Simsion is enjoying his Rosie Project success. When he signs books for men,
he frequently writes, "there's a little bit of Don Tillman in all of us."
Book Discussion: June 2nd, 10 AM, Clarkston Independence District Library
Bring a dish to pass: Potluck ends our discussion year. One last vote, information
on potential book candidates to follow.